"weekenders" as route designers... Re: Re[2]: [at-l] Elevationchanges

[sloetoe at yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

--- "Bob C." <ellen@clinic.net> wrote: They produced
the best trail they knew how, given the desire of the land
owners for the trail to be removed from their productive forest
lands, and what they knew from ATC trail-building guide books --
and the act of Congress, which I think specified ridge lines.
### It's good to be reminded of these things...
 
> However, I continue to be amazed by the amount of trail work
> and trail decisions being done by people who are not really
into hiking. More and more hikers are joining MATC ranks, but I
can't think of very many in the top ranks of the club, who are
long time, long distance hikers.
> 
> Most of us are people who enjoy the woods, and enjoy the idea
> of a long distance trail, but who are not into doing a lot of
it ourselves.
### "Like trying to herd cats..." IMO, I think that's because
the long distance hikers are not interested in jumping through
the hoops increasingly required to "do" trail work. Certified
this, registered that, updated something else -- who needs it?
You've got a free weekend and a good back and you want to give
something back, and some pencilneck is going to say 

   "Do you have Form 10-14-H filled out in black ink? Giving the
date of your latest registration jurisdiction for the right to
sharpen your own Pick-Mattock beyond the 50* head angle
recommended in Forest Service Regulation 65602/2001?"

Phooey. The cost of participation is too high, and the people
who don't think so -- who tolerate it better -- are weighted to
those that perhaps don't/wouldn't tolerate the ongoing battle
with entropy that is long distance hiking. Western society (have
I really strayed that far?) has for a generation used a
regulatory hammer to kill the latest issue flea, and then
wondered at the result. Phooey again. (The last time I used my
chainsaw on trail, I cleared blowdowns for 26.2 miles -- a full
"marathon" distance [yippie] -- in a single day. Totally
"illegal". That pissed me off. So nowadays, the boys and I drive
around with a variety of garbage bags in the car. We still give
back, but not nearly to our ability. [And that pisses me
off....])


> That being said, I still think Maine is among the  best
maintained, and is easily the most interesting section of the
entire 2,170 miles.
> One reason for my walk in 1993 was simply to compare Maine
with other states. I had anticipated that the far larger
maintaining groups in the south would put Maine and it's 100
active members maintaining 273 miles to shame. I found just
the opposite.
### FWIW, I agree with you, although my hike was on the "old"
Maine AT.

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